Carrying handle for suction cleaner



March 6, 1962 GAUDRY 3,023,838

CARRYING HANDLE FOR SUCTION CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1958Ala ATTORNEY March 6, 1962 P. E. GAUDRY CARRYING HANDLE FOR SUCTIONCLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed April 1, 1958 ZZ j M fW A ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,023,858CARRYING HANDLE FOR SUCTIQN CLEANER Paul Emile Gaudry, Montreal, Quebec,Canada, assignor to Alttieholaget Electrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, acorporation of Sweden Filed Apr. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 725,724 7 Claims.(Cl. 183-37) My invention relates to suction cleaners and is esp..-cially concerned with a carrying handle for a suction cleaner.

In the use of elongated suction cleaners of the horizontal type having aflexible hose connected at one end to the suction inlet of the cleanerand at the opposite end to a wand to which a cleaning tool is connected,it is often desirable that all of the suction cleaning apparatus justreferred to be transported from one place to another withoutdisconnecting the parts. To carry suction cleaning apparatus as a unitwithout disconnecting the parts, an individual usually grasps the wandin one hand at one side of the body and the handle of the suctioncleaner in the other hand at the opposite side of the body.

It has usually been the practice for elongated suction cleaners to havea handle which is fixed to the casing of the cleaner at a region ofbalance, so that the cleaner is held in an essentially horizontalposition. When carrying suction cleaning apparatus which includes asuction cleaner having a handle fixed in this manner, the ends of theflexible suction hose are supported at a relatively low level near thehands of the individual and the central part of the suction hosetherefore tends to contact and drag along the floor. Even if the end ofthe suction hose connected to the upper end of the wand should be at ahigher level than the end of the hose projecting forward from the airinlet end of the suction cleaner, there still is an objectionabletendency for the central part of the suction hose to contact and dragalong the floor. This is particularly true when all of the suctioncleaning apparatus parts are moved as a unit on a stairway from onefloor to a higher floor. Also, there is an objectionable tendency forthe hose to project out in front of the individual, making the apparatusbulky to carry and difficult to maneuver around furniture, in narrowpassages and through doorways.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved handle for carryingan elongated suction cleaner.

Another object is to provide an improved handle for supporting anelongated suction cleaner at an acute angle of about 30 to 45 degrees tothe vertical with the center of gravity of the cleaner beneath and invertical alignment with the hand grip provided by the handle.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds, and the features of novelty whichcharacterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view illustrating my improved suctioncleaning apparatus and the manner in which it can be carried;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the suction cleaning apparatusillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the suction cleaning apparatus shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of parts shownin FIG. 1 to illustrate details;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of suction cleaningapparatus like that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrating a modification ofthe invention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged side elevational views, part- "ice 1y brokenaway and in section, illustrating parts shown in FIG. 5 in differentpositions; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken at line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown my invention applied to ahorizontal tank-type suction cleaner 10 comprising a casing 11, a frontend cover 12 and rear end cover 14. The casing 11 is provided with ahandle 15 and wheels 16 and 17 to facilitate movement thereof on asupporting surface, the wheels 17 being at opposing sides of the casing11 and the single caster wheel 16 at the front end of the casing beingdisposed between the side walls of the cleaner.

The front end cover 12, which is removably secured to the end of casing11 in any suitable manner (not shown) is provided with an inlet 18 towhich a flexible suction hose 19 is removably connected. A suitablecleaning tool like a nozzle 20, for example, is connected to anelongated wand or tube 21 which in turn is connected to the outer freeend of the suction hose 19 and through which air flows into the frontend of the casing by a suitable motor-fan unit 22 disposed therein. Themotor-fan unit 22 is connected in an electrical circuit having a switch(not shown) provided with a manually operable control member 23 at thetop of the casing 11. Dirt entrained in air drawn into the inlet 18 isseparated from air when it passes through a dust collecting member 24,and air from which dirt has been removed is discharged from the casingthrough an opening 25 in the rear end cover 14.

The rear end cover 14 may be pivotally mounted in any suitable manner(not shown) for rocking movement about an axis coinciding with the axisof the rear wheels 17. A latch 26 may be provided at the top of the rearend cover 14 for releasably latching the end cover at the rear end ofthe casing 11.

Referring to FIG. 2, an opening 27 is formed in a side wall of the rearend cover 14 through which is adapted to pass an electrical cord 28 atthe outer free end of which is provided a conventional electrical plug29 which arrests inward movement of the cord through the opening. Thecord 28 is arranged to be wound on a reel 30 rotatably mounted withinthe rear end cover. The inner end of the cord 28 is connected in anysuitable manner (not shown) to the motor-fan unit circuit. The reel 30may be of a type on which the cord 28 is automatically wound when it isreleased, suitable mechanism being provided to render the reelineffective to retract the cord 28 when all or any part thereof isunwound from the reel. Cord winding structure of the type just referredto is illustrated and described fully in copending Raymond Descarriesapplication Serial No. 725,732, filed April 1, 1958, to which referencemay be had if desired, further description and illustration of the cordreel 30 and operating mechanism therefor not being believed necessaryfor an understanding of my invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the top of the casing 11 includes two wallportions 11a and 11b at different elevations which are joined by asloping wall portion 110. A trim strip 31, which conforms to the top ofthe casing 11 and includes two sections at different elevations extendslengthwise of the casing top and is fixed thereto in any suitablemanner. The trim strip 31, which is of inverted U-shape, is providedwith elongated slots 32 and 33 in which the ends of the handle 15 areanchored. The trim strip is also provided with a slot 34 through whichthe switch control member 23 extends, as best shown in FIG. 5.

The handle 15 desirably is formed of a material, such as a suitableplastic, for example, to provide a hand grip which essentially keeps itsshape and yet is slightly flexible and resilient in character tofacilitate carrying the suction cleaner in a manner which will beexplained presently. The forward part of the handle 15 gradually becomesthicker at 15a at the region at 33 at which it is anchored to the trimstrip 31. The extreme forward part of the handle projecting from thetrim strip is practically perpendicular thereto and merges into a partforming the hand grip portion in FIG. 4 having a pronounced radius ofcurvature. From the hand grip portion in FIG. 4 the handle 15 slopesdownwardly more or less gradually toward the trim strip section at thehigher elevation, the rear end of the handle being anchored to the trimstrip at the opening 32 therein. By providing a handle 15 of thecharacter just described and like that shown most clearly in FIG. 4, ahand grip 15a is provided for the suction cleaner which is essentiallyhorizontal, as indicated by the dotted line xx, and at an acute angle tothe longitudinal axis of the suction cleaner 10.

In FIGS. 5 to 8 I have shown another form of handle 115 for the suctioncleaner which is generally like the suction cleaner 10 in FIGS. 1 to 4with like parts referred to by the same reference numerals, themotor-fan unit 22 and dust collecting member 24 of the suction cleaner10 being diagrammatically illustrated only in FIG. 5.

The suction cleanerin FIGS. 5 to 8 differs from the form of suctioncleaner just described in that a trim strip 131 extends lengthwise ofthe section of the casing top at the higher elevation only, a part 135of the handle 115 being fixed at 136 to the forward end of the casingwith the handle extending rearwardly therefrom to the forward end of thetrim strip 131 when it is in its down position illustrated in FIG. 7.

The handle part 135 forms a bracket or body portion fixed directly tothe top part of the casing at 136. The bracket 135 is formed with acavity or recess 137 having spaced apart inner vertical walls 138forming a gap in which the hinge end of the handle 115 is movable. Theopposing sides of the handle 115 are provided with pins 139 which may beformed integral-1y therewith and project outwardly therefrom. Below thevertical walls 138, at the region at which the handle 115 is angularlymovable, the opposing sides of the body portion 135 are formed withnotches 140 which receive and position the pins 139 beneath the verticalwalls 138, the latter serving as overhanging ledges for retaining thehandle in the bracket 135. Since the notches 140 extend to the bottom ofthe bracket 135, the handle 115 is first positioned on the bracket withthe pins 139 disposed in the notches 146, after which the bracket issecured at 136 to the top of the casing 11.

At the vicinity of the pins 139 about which the handle 115 is movable,the latter is provided with a surface 141 extending radially outwardfrom the pivotal axis which is arranged to engage a part 142 formed atthe forward end of the bracket cavity 137 and serves as a stop to limitupward movement of the handle 115, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that the handle 115 is generallylike the handle 15 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in that it provides a hand gripfor the suction cleaner which is essentially horizontal, as indicated bythe dotted line yy and at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of thesuction cleaner.

The center of gravity of an elongated suction cleaner of the generaltype illustrated and described herein usually is located in a zone whichis about one-third of the length of the cleaner from the air outlet end.This will vary, of course, with different constructions and specialfeatures which are embodied in the cleaner, such as holders for cleaningtools and accessories, and a cord winder which may be either detachablymounted at the end of the cleaner or provided within the cleaner as cordwinder 30 diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 5.

The handle 15 is fixed to the casing 11 at a position of unbalance, thatis, the handle is longitudinally offset with respect to the center ofgravity of the suction cleaner 10, the center of gravity being nearertothe. rear end cover 14 than to the front end cover 12, as shown inFIG. 5. Therefore, when the suction cleaner 10 is raised by its handle,the cleaner will assume an inclined position with the air inlet end 18inclined upward. As a result, an individuals hand will always tend toslide upward along the handle to the hand grip portion 15a in FIG. 4irrespective of where handle 15 is grasped.

The hand grip portion 15a is considerably nearer to the air inlet 18than to the air outlet 25, and, when the suction cleaner is being heldat this region of the handle, the center of gravity of the cleaner isbeneath the hand grip region 15:: and in vertical alignment therewith.With the handle arrangement illustrated and just described, the suctioncleaner is inclined at an acute angle to the vertical with its center ofgravity not only in alignment with the hand grip portion 15a of thehandle but also with the arm of the individual when it is extendedvertically down- Ward at the side of the body in carrying the suctioncleaner.

To find a good hand grasp region of the handle 15 provided by theinvention is more or less automatic because the hand naturally slidesalong the handle 15 until it reaches a position of balance at the handgrip portion 15a where the center of gravity is beneath and in verticalalignment therewith. On the other hand, to find a good hand grasp regionof the handle of a tank-type suction cleaner located above the vicinityof the center of gravity of the cleaner is often a case of trial anderror, especially when the center of gravity of the cleaner is changedby the addition of a tool holder or cord winder as assessories.

The handle in FIGS. 5 to 8 is like the handle 15 in FIGS. '1 to 4 inthat an individual does not need to find by trial and error the mostcomfortable region at which to grasp it to carry the suction cleaner.Irrespective of the region at which the handle 115 is grasped, thesuction cleaner automatically tilts upon being raised from a supportingsurface and takes a position wherein the center of gravity is beneathand in vertical alignment with the region of the handle grasped by theindividual.

In FIGS. 1 to 4 the angular postion of the hand grip portion 15 withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the suction cleaner is essentiallyconstant, this being changed slightly when the dead weight of thecleaner is being supported by the handle. This is so because, asexplained above, the handle 15 when formed of plasticis slightlyresilient and may flex slightly when carrying the weight of the cleaner.In FIGS. 5 to 8, an individual initially raises the handle 115 from itshorizontal position illustrated in FIG. 7 in order to grasp it, and whenthe handle reaches its uppermost position it is then effective to carrythe full dead Weight of the cleaner. As is shown in FIG. 5, the handle115 is in the horizontal position indicated by the dotted line y-y whenthe cleaner is in its normal carrying position.

With the suction cleaner 10 inclined to the vertical, as best shown inFIG. 2, the overall vertical extent of the cleaner is appreciablygreater than the horizontal extent at the side of an individuals body,so that the suction cleaner does not project forward or rearward as muchas it would if it were being carried in a horizontal position. In theembodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 it will be seen that the angle of inclinationof the cleaner to the vertical is about 45, as indicated in FIG. 4,While in FIG. 5 this angle of inclination is about 35. It has been foundthat an angle of inclination which is in a range of from about 30 to 45is satisfactory.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 the suction cleaner 10, suction hose 19, wand 21 andnozzle 20, which are connected to one another, form what may be referredto as a suction cleaning apparatus unit. When the suction cleaner 10 isbeing held at an acute angle to the vertical at one side of the body andthe wand is held at the opposite side of the body, the flexible suctionhose 19 of the unit takes a shape like that of a catenary, as seen inFIG. 2 in side elevation, the hose having inwardly bent ends whoseextreme outer portions project upwardly at both sides of the body andforward and rearward of the body at the suction cleaner and wand sides,respectively.

With this carrying arrangement, the suction hose 19 is positioned acrossthe front of the body and between the wand 21 and the side of the bodyadjacent thereto. Since the air inlet end 18 of the suction cleaner isinclined upward and forward at one side of the body and the suction hoseend of the wand 21 is inclined rearward and upward at the other side ofthe body, the suction hose is always positioned across the front of thebody at a relatively high level, thereby permitting an individual towalk freely in furnished areas of rooms and walk up and down stairswithout the central part of the hose tending to contact and drag alongthe floor or staircase.

Further, the suction cleaner 10, hose 19, wand 21 and nozzle 20 are keptcomfortably about and relatively close to an individual, as illustratedin FIG. 5, thereby making it easy to maneuver in narrow passages anddoorways and between closely positioned pieces of furniture. In the topplan view illustrated in FIG. 5, it will be observed that the hose 19and suction cleaner 10 have an S-shape with a portion of the hoseconcealed from view by the arm at the wand side of the body.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, such variations and modifications are contemplated as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out in thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. An elongated tank-type suction cleaner having a casing provided withan air inlet and an air outlet removed therefrom, a handle at a wall ofthe casing, said handle comprising an elongated member, means forpivotally mounting said member at the wall for angular movement about anaxis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, said memberbeing movable from a first position alongside of the wall to a secondhigher position at an acute angle to the wall, and means to arrestmovement of said member when it reaches the second higher position, saidmember in the second higher position providing a hand grip at said acuteangle to the wall which assumes a substantially horizontal position whenthe cleaner is lifted and carried.

2. A suction cleaner as set forth in claim 1 in which said pivotalmounting means comprises a hollow body at the wall and structure forfixing said member within said body for angular movement therein, saidmember having a surface angularly movable therewith, and a part withinsaid body in the path of movement of said surface and serving as a stopto arrest movement of said member at the second higher position toprovide said hand grip at an acute angle to the wall.

3. In an elongated suction cleaner having an air inlet and an air outletat opposite sides of its center of gravity, a handle, means for fixingsaid handle to the top of the cleaner at a region of unbalance which isdisposed forward from the center of gravity of the cleaner toward theinlet, said handle including a hand grip which is at the immediatevicinity of said handle fixing means, said handle comprising anelongated member and said fixing means comprising structure forpivotally mounting said member at the top of the cleaner for angularmovement about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thecleaner, said member being movable from a first position alongside ofthe cleaner and adjacent thereto to a second higher position at an acuteangle to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, and means to arrestupward movement of said member at the second higher position, said handgrip assuming a substantially horizontal position when the cleaner islifted and carried and said member moves to its second higher position,and said fixing means fixing said elongated member to the top of thecleaner at the region of unbalance which will position the center ofgravity of the cleaner directly beneath the hand grip in verticalalignment therewith and the longitudinal axis of the cleaner will be atan acute angle of about 30 to 45 degrees to the vertical with the airinlet end of the cleaner inclined upward when the hand grip assumes thesubstantially horizontal position responsive to lifting and carrying ofthe cleaner.

4. An elongated tank-type suction cleaner having a casing provided withan air inlet and an air outlet at opposite ends thereof, said casinghaving a low section and a higher section which extend from the airinlet and air outlet toward a region intermediate the ends of the casingand a section therebetween having a sloping top, the outer end of thelow section being adjacent to the inlet and the outer end of the highersection being adjacent to the outlet, dust collecting means in the lowsection, air moving means in the higher section, a handle, means forfixing said handle to the top of said loW section at a region ofunbalance of the cleaner, said handle including a hand grip which is atthe immediate vicinity of said handle fixing means, said handlecomprising an elongated member and said fixing means comprisingstructure for pivotally mounting said member at the top of said lowsection for angular movement about an axis perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the cleaner, said member in a first position beingalongside the top of said low section and having its outer free end atthe vicinity of said sloping top, said member being movable from thefirst position at the top of said low section to a second higherposition at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of said casing, andmeans to arrest movement of said member when the latter reaches thesecond higher position, said hand grip assuming a substantiallyhorizontal position when the cleaner is lifted and carried and saidmember moves to its second higher position.

5. A suction cleaner as set forth in claim 4 in which said fixing meansstructure pivotally mounts said elongated member to the top of said lowsection at the region of unbalance of the cleaner which will positionthe longitudinal axis of the cleaner at an acute angle of about 30 to 45degrees to the vertical with the inlet end of the casing inclined upwardwhen said hand grip assumes the substantially horizontal positionresponsive to lifting and carrying of the cleaner.

6. In an elongated suction cleaner having an air inlet and an air outletat opposite ends thereof and dirt collecting means and air moving meanstherebetween, the dirt collecting means being disposed adjacent to theinlet and the air moving means adjacent to the outlet and the center ofgravity of the cleaner being nearer to the outlet than to the inlet, ahandle, means for fixing said handle to the top of the cleaner at aregion of unbalance between its center of gravity and the inlet, saidhandle comprising an elongated member including a hand grip which is atthe immediate vicinity of said handle fixing means and along a line atan acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, said hand gripassuming a substantially hori zontal position responsive to lifting andcarrying of the cleaner, and said fixing means fixing said elongatedmember to the top of the cleaner at the region of unbalance which willposition the center of gravity of the cleaner directly beneath the handgrip in vertical alignment therewith and the longitudinal axis of thecleaner will be at an acute angle of about 30 to 45 degrees to thevertical with the air inlet end of the cleaner inclined upward when saidhand grip assumes the substantially horizontal position responsive tolifting and carrying of the cleaner.

7. An elongated tank-type suction cleaner having a casing provided withan air inlet and an air outlet at opposite ends thereof, said casinghaving a low section and a higher section which extend from the airinlet and air outlet toward a region intermediate the ends of the casingand a section therebetween having a sloping top, the outer end of thelow section being adjacent to the inlet and the outer end of the highersection being adjacent to the outlet, dust collecting means in the lowsec- 7 tion, air moving means in the higher section, a handle, means forfixing said handle to the top of said low section at a region ofunbalance of the cleaner, said handle comprising an elongated memberincluding a hand grip which is at the immediate vicinity of said handlefixing means and along a line at an acute angle to the longitudinal axisof the cleaner, said hand grip assuming a substantially horizontalposition responsive to lifting and carrying of the cleaner, and saidfixing means fixing said elongated member to the top of said casing atthe region of unbalance which will position the center of gravity of thecleaner directly beneath the hand grip in vertical alignment therewithand the longitudinal axis of the cleaner will be at an acute angle ofabout 30 to 45 degrees to the vertical with the air inlet end of thecasing inclined upward when said hand grip assumes the sub- ReferencesCited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,988 OlsonNov. 20, 1928 2,008,067 Faber July 16, 1935 2,030,133 Baxter Feb. 11,1936 2,184,732 Brewer Dec. 26, 1939 2,192,357 Leathers Mar. 5, 1940FOREIGN PATENTS 219,017 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1925 508,919 Canada Jan.4, 1955

